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About this Blog

Nature’s One® blog provides the latest “food news” to keep our organic loving parents and kids in-the-know. We sort through newly released studies and articles to identify pertinent health and nutrition information that impact kids the most! We’d love to hear from you to share with others why organic is your food of choice!

In a study conducted by The Shelton Group, it seems American consumers have confused “natural” as a better indicator of an eco-friendly product than “organic.”

While the Great Recession has slowed the adoption of “green” and organics, shoppers remain interested in reducing the environmental impact of their choices, though scepticism is increasing about marketing hooey in the form of “greenwashing.” Shelton Group asked 1,006 US consumers how they know if a product is green, and the top response was “don’t know/not sure” (22%) followed by “says so on the package/label” (20%). Despite well-defined certification standards, organic products have failed to win consumers’ trust: 31% said “100 percent natural” is the most desirable eco-friendly product label claim, compared to 14% picking “100 percent organic.”

Despite strict regulations, shoppers think of the organic category as both more unregulated and, of course, more expensive. “Natural” is virtually meaningless since there are no standards or government regulations for its use on products. “Natural” has soared in popularity among marketers, and is the leading label claim on new launches according to research by Mintel. Globally 23% of all new products last year carried the “natural” claim. Dean Foods’ Horizon brand, America’s largest organic milk brand, is launching a “natural” (but not organic) yogurt aimed at toddlers, and single-serve milk targeted toward children. The dairy products are produced conventionally, though the company is insisting they “naturally produced without added growth hormones, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup.”

Unlike with organics, the cows can be fed with foodstuffs treated with pesticides, herbicides and other artificial additives. The problems of organic integrity may be partially at fault for the label’s lack of trust from consumers, along with a healthy mistrust of Washington bureaucrats. Organics regulations have been relaxed for some products, partly as demand has pushed the category to over $24bn in annual sales with major players like Kraft and Coke investing in or buying up organic brands. For example, grated organic cheese can contain wood starch to prevent clumping, and organic beer can be made from non-organic hops.

Under the original organics law in 2002, 5% a USDA-certified organic product could be non-organic provided it was approved by the National Organic Standards Board. The original list had 77 substances and has since grown to 245. Manufacturers have to appeal the inclusion every five years by explaining why an organic alternative is not possible or practical. In addition, the law’s mandate for annual pesticide testing was left optional. One problem with enforcing organics standards is that major food companies have taken control-of or purchased outright most small, independent organic companies.

Beginning this month, January 2010, Tom Brokaw will document a journey along Highway 50 from Maryland to California. Each documentary will focus on how people and communities are facing changes in our political, social and economic climate. In Montrose Colorado the documentary features an American farmer, Jeff Downs and his suggestions on how to transform Agribusiness by lessening the distance between the consumer and farmers to help promote change in our food system.

Nature’s One® recognizes the importance of providing your baby with the highest quality formula possible. Our company sets its ingredient standard beyond “organic” by sourcing only the best organic ingredients, including milk from organic family farms.

Ask the Dietitian

Meet Nature’s One’s dietitian, Diane Wilson, MS, LD, RD. Graduating from Framingham State College with a major in foods & nutrition, Diane completed her dietetic internship at Yale Medical Center. She went on to earn a Masters of Public Health in nutrition from the University of North Carolina. Diane has enjoyed a 30-year career in maternal and child nutrition for the public sector and leading infant formula manufacturers. Her achievements have been recognized through numerous state & national dietetic awards. A great deal of knowledge and experience backs Diane’s answers to parent’s questions

Parent's Testimonial

Ensure to PediaSmart®

We have been ordering PediaSmart regularly for a while now for our 9 year old that is completely dependent on tube feeding. It is the only organic non-gmo product available for this purpose that we have ever found. Our son's nutritionist and pediatrician were both unaware of it before, but after looking into it they were very positive about us changing from Ensure to PediaSmart.

Thank You

I just wanted to say thank you!!! My son is almost 4 months old and has been on 7 different formulas before I found yours. If this did not work he was going to be put on a RX formula. With every other formula he screamed
and had more problems than you could imagine. I buy it directly from your website and I have it so quickly its amazing. I also purchased the vanilla shake for my step son who is 6 and loves it ! Again, THANK YOU - THANK YOU